Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2021, published 110th ILC session (2022)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Georgia (Ratification: 1993)

The Committee takes note of the supplementary information provided by the Government in light of the decision adopted by the Governing Body at its 338th Session (June 2020). The Committee proceeded with the examination of the application of the Convention on the basis of the supplementary information received from the Government as well as on the basis of the information at its disposal in 2019.

The Committee takes note of the observations received from the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) on 2 October 2020.

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy in coordination with poverty reduction. The Committee notes the Government’s response to its previous comments. In particular, the Committee notes the comprehensive statistics provided by the Government in its reports on the implementation of the State Programme for Employment Promotion Service Development 2016–18 and the State Programme for Professional Training and Retraining and Qualification Upgrading of Job Seekers. The Committee also notes with interest that the Government has developed, with the support of the Office, the National Strategy for Labour and Employment (NSLEP) 2019–23 and its Action Plan 2019–21, which sets out a vision for systemic and strategic reforms, as well as for a series of labour and employment measures to be implemented over the course of the next 5 years. The Government reports that the NSLEP 2019–23 focusses on improving active labour market policies and employment services, with particular attention to promoting equal participation in the labour market. In this regard, Goal 3 of the NSLEP 2019-23 is to promote the involvement of women and specific disadvantaged groups in the labour market through targeted social and inclusive employment policies. The Government also refers to the adoption of the Law on Employment Promotion of 1 July 2020, which regulates, inter alia, the work of state institutions related to employment promotion. According to the observations of the GTUC, Georgia is still facing high unemployment rates, including high rates of youth unemployment and other challenges, such as income inequality, high poverty rates linked to unemployment and high numbers of self-employed persons. The latter often have such low levels of income that they do not consider themselves as “employed”. The Committee notes, according to the National Statistics Office of Georgia (GEOSTAT) publication “Indicators of the Labour Force (Employment and Unemployment)”, 2021, the overall employment rate was 42.1 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2019, compared to 39.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020. The overall unemployment rate in the country for the fourth quarter of 2019 was 16.6, rising to 20.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the nature and impact of the measures taken in the implementation of the NSLEP 2019–23 and its Action Plan 2019–21, to tackle the challenges identified in the labour market, including statistics on employment, unemployment and poverty rates, disaggregated by age and sex.

Impact of COVID-19. The Committee notes the measures taken by the Government to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic, including the provision of temporary unemployment benefits for private sector formal wage workers and self-employed persons, as well as disadvantaged groups. In this respect, the GTUC observes that the lack of flexible jobs in the country has contributed to the unemployment rate during the pandemic. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information, on the impact of the response and recovery measures taken to promote inclusive and sustainable employment during the pandemic, including information on the challenges encountered and lessons learned.

Regional development. The Committee previously requested information on the impact of various government programmes for regional development. The Committee notes the observations of the GTUC, which refer to low productivity in the agricultural sector (8 per cent of GDP is attributed to 38 per cent of the employed population) and emphasizes the need for training and retraining programmes for agricultural workers. The Committee further notes the statistics provided by the Government, including in respect of 1,900 projects completed through the Village Support Programme, as well as the establishment of seven new vocational educational institutions and ten new municipalities added to the existing network, in the context of vocational training and education reforms to improve geographical access and municipal coverage. In response to the Committee’s previous comments on the adoption of a new regional development strategy, the Government indicates that the Regional Development Programme of Georgia (RDP) 2018–21 was approved by Governmental Decree No. 1292 in June 2018 and is currently being implemented. The priorities of this programme include the provision of support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), growth-oriented sectors of the economy and export promotion, including support to strategic sectors such as tourism and agriculture, and improving human resources. The Committee requests the Government to provide information, including disaggregated statistical data, on the impact of measures taken to promote balanced regional development, including in the context of the RDP 2018–21, in terms of creating lasting, sustainable employment and improving labour productivity. The Committee further requests the Government to provide information on any measures taken or envisaged, including training and retraining programs, to increase productivity in the agricultural sector. The Government is also requested to provide information on the results of these measures.

Specific categories of workers. In response to its previous comments on the impact of active employment measures targeting disadvantaged groups, the Committee notes the statistics provided on the number of jobseekers, including women and young persons, employed as a result of their participation in the State Programme for Professional Training and Retraining and Qualification Upgrading of Job Seekers 2016–18. With regard to women’s employment, the GTUC observes that from 2006 to 2019, men’s economic activity exceeded that of women by an average of 19 per cent. The GTUC indicates that women drop out of the workforce, as a result of low wages. The Committee notes in this respect that the NSLEP 2019–23 also refers to issues faced by women in the labour market, including the gender pay gap, and provides that special attention will be paid to women’s involvement in employment programmes. With respect to the employment of young persons, the Committee notes the information provided on the activities and programmes of various public authorities and institutions responsible for promoting youth employment. In particular, it notes the “National Youth Policy Action Plan 2015-2020”, which is currently under evaluation, and the development of public-private partnerships (PPP) in youth vocational education and training (VET). The Government indicates that the number of Work-Based Learning (WBL) programs being implemented through PPP has increased. The GTUC observes that the unemployment rate is especially high among youth, reaching 30.3 per cent among the 20-29 age group in 2019. The Committee notes that, according to the ILOSTAT database, the youth unemployment rate stood at 39.4 per cent in 2020, and the share of youth not in employment, education or training stood (NEET) reached 28.5 per cent. It notes in this regard that the NSLEP 2019–23 provides for measures to reduce the proportion of NEET youth to 22.8 per cent by 2023. The Committee also notes the information provided by the Government on measures taken to promote the employment of persons with disabilities, including special programmes focusing on the integration of persons with disabilities and youth with special needs in social activities through the Children and Youth National Centre, and programmes of the Department of Employment. The Committee also notes that both the NSLEP 2019–23 and the RDP 2018–21 provide for measures aimed at promoting the integration of specific groups in vulnerable situations into the labour market, including through provision of vocational training for ethnic minorities. Recalling the Committee’s 2014 comments under the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100), concerning the occupational segregation of women and its contribution to the gender pay gap, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the concrete measures taken to combat the persistence of occupational segregation on the basis of sex (both vertical and horizontal) and to increase the labour force participation rate of women in the labour market. The Committee further requests the Government to provide detailed information on the manner in which the development of public-private partnerships and other programmes providing education and vocational training for youth has increased young people’s access to full, productive and freely chosen employment. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the measures envisaged or adopted to reduce the unemployment rate of young people (20-29 age). The Government is further requested to provide information on the nature and impact of measures taken, including in the context of the NSLEP 2019–23 and the RDP 2018–21, on the employment of specific groups of workers, including persons with disabilities, rural workers and older workers.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. Noting the information provided by the Government in respect of consultation with the social partners, the Committee invites the Government to continue to communicate information in this regard, as well as information on consultations with representatives of those concerned by the measures to be taken.